Ghiyas-ud-Din Balban

Ghiyas-ud-Din Balban (1206-1286) was Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate from 1266 to 1287, succeeding Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud and preceding Muiz-ud-Din Qaiqabad.

Biography
Ghiyas-ud-Din Balban was born in 1206, the son of a Central Asian Turkic noble. He was captured by the Mongols as a child and was sold as a slave in Ghazni, Afghanistan. He was bought by Sultan Iltutmish in 1232, and he made several conquests, some of which were made as he served as vizier. Balban reconquered the Bengal, routed the Mewats who harassed Delhi, and successfully faced a Mongol invasion. Balban became the wazir and heir of Sultan Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud, becoming Sultan in 1266. He made civil and military reforms that made him the greatest Sultan of Delhi, and he died in 1286. Muiz-ud-Din Qaiqabad succeeded him as Sultan.